This weeks’ update focuses mainly on a major set of class rebalance changes concerning everyone’s favorite form of combat, Drones. Keep reading to find out more!
A fair amount of time this week was spent on two major changes to drones that I think are very needed. As everyone is aware, players who fight primarily with drones (Engineers), face much higher risk than players who fight with conventional weapons. If an Engineer wipes, they potentially lose all their drones permanently. The two major changes I’ve done address the two ways you can lose your drones.
First, drones can expire. If you are sitting in a pod waiting for light stasis and your drones time out, they’re gone. With the class rebalance, this is changing. Instead of disappearing when they expire, scoopable drones will simply go inactive. Inactive drones will get a small name change to ‘Inactive + Drone Name” so you can identify them. The will also no longer attack AI, give auras, follow you if they’re mobile, etc. However they still take up drone slots and can be attacked; which means they can still be destroyed; the next way players can lose their drones.
Drones can be destroyed. Unlike slaves or weapons, (which can stasis or lose durability), drones can actually die. This is also being addressed with the class rebalance. Instead of blowing up and being lost forever, scoopable drones will now enter a destroyed state when they run out of shields. The destroyed state is identical to the inactive state with a few notable changes. Destroyed drones get a particle effect so you can see they are destroyed. They also get a name change to “Destroyed ” + “Drone Name”. When you scoop a destroyed drone it has zero durability and displays as a “Destroyed Drone Name” in your inventory. Destroyed Drones can’t be equipped or deployed until they are repaired. Repairing a destroyed drone functions the same as any normal repair. Currently you are able to simply right click on the item and pay a credit cost to fix it.
Right now we are mainly considering credit repairs for scoopable, non-permanent drones and a binary durability system where they’re either full durability or null durability. The binary system will cut down on stacks; you’ll only have two stacks; one for destroyed drones and one for normal drones. It also means loosing a drone will still hurt. It won’t hurt as badly (as it’s not gone forever), but you’ll still have to pay a full repair cost each time you lose one. What exactly that full repair is going to cost is still under discussion internally and we will be giving you more details when we come to a consensus.
So, that’s this weeks’ update! As always feel free to post comments, questions and suggestions in the forums. I’ll be back again next Monday with another update!
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